Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya
She’s too angry. Too weird. Too messy. And now, she’s the main character. Unlikeable Female Characters is a fierce, funny, and razor-sharp takedown of the cultural obsession with “likeable” women—and a celebration of the flawed female icons who broke the rules. From Amy Dunne in Gone Girl to Regina George, Fleabag, and Skyler White, these are the women who provoke, polarize, and captivate. Anna Bogutskaya—film programmer, broadcaster, and co-founder of the horror collective and podcast The Final Girls—dives into nine pop culture archetypes, from The Bitch and The Psycho to The Slut and The Trainwreck. She shows how these characters were once used to punish women on screen, and why audiences are now starting to celebrate them instead. This is not just a book about characters. It’s about the real-life expectations that hem women in, and the stories that finally let them out. Why you’ll love it: Bold feminist insight wrapped in wit and pop savvy Cultural deep-dives across film, TV, and music—from Bette Davis to Promising Young Woman A must-read for fans of complex female leads and feminist cultural critique Praise for Unlikeable Female Characters: "Fascinating, insightful, and kick-ass." —Emma Jane Unsworth, internationally bestselling author of Grown Ups and Animals "Beautifully written." —Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger "Part-cultural exposé, part-Taylor Swift album." —Clarisse Loughrey, Chief Film Critic at The Independent "Brilliant masterpiece breaking down the tired tropes of TV and beyond." —Aparna Shewakramani, author of She's Unlikeable and star of Indian Matchmaking
Fascinating, insightful, and kick-ass* Emma Jane Unsworth, author of Animals *
Deeply researched, with fascinating behind-the-scenes details and insightful analysis. It is also wildly entertaining * RogerEbert.com *
This smart and thoughtful debut traces the evolution of female characters in media, from the earliest television shows, movies, and music to the present day examining the nuances of what it means to be a woman, on and off screen. * Irish Examiner *
Bogutskaya delivers a sweeping and deft polemic on how the flawed women of popular culture enrich our screens and warm our hearts. * The Quietus *
Part-cultural expose, part-Taylor Swift album * Clarisse Loughrey, film critic *
Reclaiming the word 'unlikeable' has never felt so good * Rhianna Dhillon, film critic and broadcaster *
A fresh feminist appraisal of the pop culture canon * Publishers Weekly *
Deeply researched, with fascinating behind-the-scenes details and insightful analysis. It is also wildly entertaining * RogerEbert.com *
This smart and thoughtful debut traces the evolution of female characters in media, from the earliest television shows, movies, and music to the present day examining the nuances of what it means to be a woman, on and off screen. * Irish Examiner *
Bogutskaya delivers a sweeping and deft polemic on how the flawed women of popular culture enrich our screens and warm our hearts. * The Quietus *
Part-cultural expose, part-Taylor Swift album * Clarisse Loughrey, film critic *
Reclaiming the word 'unlikeable' has never felt so good * Rhianna Dhillon, film critic and broadcaster *
A fresh feminist appraisal of the pop culture canon * Publishers Weekly *
Anna Bogutskaya is a London-based freelance film programmer, broadcaster, writer and creative producer, connected in both the worlds of US and UK film. She is also the co-founder of the horror film collective and podcast The Final Girls and Festival Director of Underwire Festival. Previously, Anna was the Film and Events Programmer at the British Film Institute. In 2019, she was selected as one of Screen International's Future Leaders in Curation and Programming and was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2020 was selected as a mentor at SXSW.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781728274744 |
| ISBN 10 | 1728274745 |
| Title | Unlikeable Female Characters |
| Author | Anna Bogutskaya |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Sourcebooks, Inc |
| Year published | 2023-06-09 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |